The obstacles in life
by MHMH003010002
Summary: Alex Rider is on the road to recovery after Jack's death, with the help of MI6 Agent Ben Daniels. But when Scorpia sends a threat under a new name and leadership, it is back to hell. And what happens if he meets a mysterious girl there? Contains K-Unit. Alex/OC. Rated T for mild swearing in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1: A new and old life

A/N: This my first story and I just turned 13 not too long ago so if there is anything you think is wrong with it please review nicely? Pretty please?

Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider or any of the characters from the books. It all rightfully belongs to Anthony Horowitz. I only own my OC, Catrina Howell who will be appearing in later chapters.

Chapter 1: A new and old life

Somewhere in Liverpool…

In the house of one Benjamin Daniels, more commonly known as Ben, one Alex Rider was rudely woken up from his slumber by said person.

"Rise and shine sleepyhead! The day isn't getting any younger," Ben said cheerfully. Apparently, he was a morning person. Alex groaned, "I'm awake! I'm awake! How can you be so cheerful at," he glanced at his clock, "7 in the morning?" Obviously, he was NOT a morning person. "Just get up, get dressed and let's have breakfast before the food gets cold or I faint from hunger." With that, he put a hand to his forehead and feinted fainting. Alex laughed, "Alright, now if you would just get out so I can get dressed? Or do you swing that way?" "Ew, no! I'll meet you at the dining table." Alex laughed again. It was so easy to get him out of the room.

After he got dressed, he went down and found Ben already tucking into his breakfast. "Hey! I thought you were waiting for me" he said indignantly. "Too bad, I was starving" Ben replied. As he sat down to eat his breakfast, his eye caught the date on the calendar. February 13. With a start, he realized it was his birthday. He was 16 now, his first birthday after Ben took him in and became his guardian. He could still remember vividly how lonely it felt in the house in Chelsea after Jack's death. When Ben had found out that he lived alone there he had offered to let him live with him. At first, he had declined but after they spent more time together, Alex saw Ben as an older brother he never had. After months of contemplating, he finally decided to take him up on his offer of living with him. Now, everything in the house in Chelsea was left to collect dust.

Thinking about Jack's death made him lose his appetite. After a few mouthfuls of food, he announced that he was done. As he was washing up, Ben's phone rang. He answered the phone and went out to the living room. From the kitchen, he could only hear Ben's reply, "We'll be right there Mrs Jones. We'll take the Tube." That last comment made Alex smile. Ben was obviously learning from him. "What does Mrs Jones want from us?" he asked Ben after he hung up. "I don't know but the sooner we get to the Royal and General, the sooner we get some answers."

A/N: Virtual cookies to anyone who can guess who my OC's father is.


	2. Chapter 2: Seeing Mrs Peppermint

A/N: Many thanks to my first reviewer, Albany.

Chapter 2: Seeing Madam Peppermint and Agent Creepy Crawlie

As Alex and Ben stood outside the Royal and General Bank, Alex found himself staring at the exact same spot where he was shot. He involuntarily shuddered at the sight of the brown spot on the cement. _His blood._

"Let's go inside," he said too quickly to Ben. He sensed that there was something bothering the 16-year old, something that was related to that brown spot which looked suspiciously like dried blood. He had no idea what it was as he had never been given Alex's full file and he didn't want to pressure the boy so he simply said "Let's go."

Inside the bank, as soon as Ben showed his ID, they were allowed through. As they waited inside the lift to take them to the top floor, Ben finally gathered the courage to ask Alex what was bothering him.

"Al, just now… outside the bank you were staring at a brown spot on the ground, what was it about?" he asked a little apprehensively. After a few seconds, he said "it's nothing. Oh look, we're here."As he got out quickly, Ben hurried after him. It was a clear sign that whatever it was with the brown spot, Alex did not want to talk about it.

Ben knocked on the wooden door and when the occupant in the room said "Enter," he and Alex went in, Ben closing the door behind him softly. The occupant in the room, no, occupants, were a black woman with what one would say a potato-shaped head, sucking on a peppermint and impeccably dressed as usual. Her name was Mrs Jones, the head of MI6 and the man standing next to her John Crawley could only be described as too normal to the extent of creepily normal, although these two people were far from normal. Alex presumed that Crawley was the new deputy head of MI6 after Mrs Jones took over from Alan Blunt, who retired. Alex was glad that Blunt had retired, he would have made the whole room seem grey, with his grey hair, grey eyes, grey spectacles, grey tie, grey suit, grey shoes, hell, even his skin seemed grey. Alex was very very glad that Mr Grey was NOT here.

"Alex, Agent Daniels, please have a seat." As they sat she continued, "The reason I called the both of you here today is because of this," she signaled to Crawley and he handed her a piece of paper, "threat from Scorpia to you, Alex, although they are now under a new leadership and name. They now call themselves Stramonium, a type of poisonous plant." Alex interrupted, "It's a type of flower, how intimidating," he said sarcastically. "Alex, let Mrs Jones continue," Ben said, sending a stern look to said boy. Alex just shrugged and motioned for her to continue. Mrs Jones handed the paper to Ben and Alex. Ben turned pale after reading it.

_Alex Rider,_

_You can run, you can hide, you can go to the furthest corner of the Earth but we will find you._

_We will send an assassin after you. You may think it stupid of us to warn you that we will be coming but even if you prepare, our assassin will get you, for sure._

_The wheels of fate have turned. Enjoy while you still can._

_Tata!_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Stramonium_

_P.S Spend some time preparing your will too for you will not know when will be your last._

"This is bullshit! From the looks of it, whoever who wrote it is an amateur. How can you be sure it's a real threat?" he scoffed. " We believe it's a real threat because we caught a sniper on the roof of the house opposite yours aiming at you. She managed to take down twelve of our own men before we subdued her," Mrs Jones said. "Her?" both Alex and Ben asked incredously.

A knock sounded on the door. "Enter," said Mrs Jones. "Here she is Mrs Jones, the little she-devil," a man escorting a young girl in handcuffs said. "You are dismissed," Mrs Jones replied. "Gentlemen, this is Catrina Howell, the Stramonium sniper," she said. "Wait, as in Anthony Sean **Howell**, Ash?" Alex asked shocked. "Yes, Ash, she is Ash's daughter," was Mrs Jones reply as she continued, "for your protection, you and Ben will be sent to the SAS Camp Brecon Beacons, Wales. Catrina will go along with you until we decide what to do with her. She is a year younger than you Alex, so she is also a minor. If that is all, you may leave. A car will be taking you to your house to pack whatever you need. Have a nice day." Alex and Ben were still shocked and they blindly followed Crawley out of Mrs Jones office to the car along with Catrina.

A/N: My idea for Catrina was the veryintroverted, very quiet type so she did not say a word in this chapter but I promise she will say something in the next chapter. Please review.


	3. Chapter 3: Highway to Hell on Earth

A/N: Many thanks to my reviewers, Albany, HollyBlue2 and FreezingTime92

Chapter 3: Highway to Hell

Few words were exchanged as Alex and Ben packed the basic necessities they needed. The shock had worn off and Alex was fuming with anger. It was no surprise that Alex was not pleased to be staying with the daughter of the man who murdered his parents at the SAS Camp which had made his live hell. He was sure that he would never see that place again._ Although_, he mused,_ the one week there was nothing compared to the missions I had been on._ He then remembered that he was not in good form as he had not been constantly training for a long time, only an occasional football game with Tom and a half an hour jog every evening would not help him cope with the strenuous training at Brecon Beacons. _I have a lot of catching up to do_, he thought to himself. "Alex! Are you done?" Ben shouted from below. He had finished packing when Alex was preoccupied with his thoughts. Alex quickly donned the SAS uniform that MI6 allowed him to keep from his time in the SAS, zipped up his bag and came down the stairs.

Ben was dressed in the SAS uniform that he had been issued when he was still in the SAS. To his surprise, Catrina was also dressed in the SAS uniform. _MI6 must have given her one_, he thought to himself. Alex took a closer look at her and found that she was very similar to Ash. She had his curly black hair, startling blue eyes and the way she behaved was almost a mirror image of her father. He had to admit that she was quite pretty. Briefly, he wondered if she harbored her father's hatred for him. Alex thought that it was ironic, really. It was Ash who murdered his parents, he should be the one hating her, actually, he should be hating her father, not her. But the look of pure hatred she sent him when she passed him on the way out of the door baffled him, rather than aroused his anger. Instead of beating around the bush, he simply asked her, "Why do you hate me? I've never even met you before." To which she just said, "I don't hate you. I hate your father. You are like a clone of him and I see him in you." "Why do you hate my father? What does my father have to do with you?" She opened her mouth to reply but stopped short and decided to ignore him instead. "Alex! Hurry up!" Ben shouted from the car. The two headed to the car in silence.

Before they left, the driver announced that it would take at least three hours to get to Brecon Beaacons. The tension in the car was so thick that not even the sharpest knife in the world could slice through it. And they were not even out of London yet. When the driver announced that they were on the highway, Ben decided to have a short nap, Catrina was still listening to the music on her iPod ever since they left the house and Alex opted for looking out of the window, a million thoughts running through his mind. Suddenly, the song 'Highway to Hell', sung by a band named AC/DC, blasted from the radio. Alex thought about the irony of it all, they were on their way to hell on Earth and the radio was playing the song 'Highway to Hell'. He gave a low chuckle. As he kept thinking, he started cursing his luck of the devil. Of all days to get called in to MI6 HQ and sent to the SAS Camp which he had so many bad memories of, it had to be on his birthday.

A/N: I did not know what the color of Ash's eyes were so I just put it down as blue.


End file.
